Printing machine



y 6, 1940. "J. J. QRM'OND ET AL 2.208044 PRINTING MACHINE Filed May 13, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 16, 1940. QRMOND ET AL I 2,208,044 PRINTING MACHINE I Filed May 13. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 firvekww Patented July 16, 1940 2,208,044 PRINTING MACHINE John J. Ormond, Boston,

and Paul H. Dump,

Wollaston, Mass., assignors to Artographic Incorporated, Boston, Massachusetts Mala, a corporation of Application May 13, 1939, Serial No. 213,468 4 Claims. (01. 101-216) This invention relates to printing machines and apparatus for carrying out printing operations.

The principal object of the invention is an improved printing apparatus. Another object is apparatus for printing in register a sheet of subject matter from edge to edge in the absence of gripper mechanism. Among other objects may be cited means and procedures to apply uniiormly printed subject matter of high quality upon the back side of envelopes; to introduce improved register mechanism; to provide a printing and registering means adapted to cooperate with the mechanical construction of an envelope in printing on the back side of the envelope and accomplishing high-speed bleeding-off operations; and generally to effect a simple, efllcient and cheap printing mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation 01' offset printing members, partly broken away, together with means for registering subject matter within the printing members.

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the register mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the impression roll and register plate of Fig. 1 and indicates in broken lines an envelope engaged thereagainst.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modification of side register mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a 'cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail cross section taken on the line 7-1 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a detail cross section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 'I.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in end elevation of printing rolls and cam means for depressing a guide member.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the edge of an envelope being contacted by a printing member.

Fig. 11 is another diagrammatic view illustrating printing rolls, plate, and modified arrangement of a depressible guide with the plate.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail view of printing rolls and another modified arrangement of depressible guide therewith.

In Figs. 1-7 inclusive, we have shown a means for printing envelopes and similar subject matter from edge to edge. The operation of printing subject matter from edge to edge is referred to in the art as bleeding-01f. It greatly differs from usual offset practice in the type of registration-that is required to be effected. Registration of a printing image at a desired point within the edges of a sheet of subject matter is rela- 5 tively easily accomplished by using register mechanism which cooperates with gripping means adapted to engage edges of the sheet. Gripper mechanism commonly is employed both before the sheet reaches the printing rolls and 10 while it is passing through the rolls.

In printing from edge to edge, however, there is no space available for the engagement of gripper mechanism, and register must be eflected without theme of such members. It should be'll observed, in addition, that, irrespective of the use of gripper mechanism, it is far more diflicult to register all of the edges of a printing image, to exactly coincide and'cover all edges of a sheet of subject matter, than to register only one edge go of a printing image within the borders of a sheet of subject matter.

In the present invention our structure includes no gripper mechanism and presents a lesser number of parts, with the parts arranged to do the work of gripper mechanism and to perform additional functions.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, 20 indicates a printing member fragmentarily shown and adapted to be in rolling contact with a presso sure roll 2 I, having a pressure plate 21a mounted thereon. Adjacent the front edge of the plate 21a is slidably received a-guide plate 22 for receiving the front edge of subject matter to be printed. Adjacent the printing members has 35 been provided mechanism which includes a pair of parallelly disposed sides 28 between which is supported a shaft '24. Between sides 23 and passing around shaft 24 are conveyor belts ll, only one of which appears in Fig. 2, driven by rolls 31 and being adapted to advance sheets l0 therealong. Within the sides 23 is a pair of side plates 25 and 25a and base plates 25b and 250, the plates being laterally adjustable and the nearer one of which, as viewed in Fig. 1, has been 5 broken away.

Pressure plate Zia is arranged on the pressure roll in a position such that its forward edge will exactly coincide with the forward edge of an ink image carried on the printing member. Also 50 the side plate 25 is located so that its inner side, which is utilized to effect side register of subject matter, is exactly in alignment with that line on the pressure plate along which a corresponding edge of the printing image will fall when the printing member comes into rolling contact with the pressure plate.

With the pressure plate having its forward edge falling directly under the ink image dimculty arises from the required location of the guide 22 at the front edge of the pressure plate since the upper and inner edge of the guide will tend to will occur. If the pick up ink and on the next rotation smurring guide is relied upon to main- .tain the front edge of subject matter in coincident alignment with the front edge of the pressure plate, which is mandatory since there is no other point at which the sheet can be contacted in edge to edge printing, it is necessary for this relation of the guide to the printing member to be preserved. This presents an apparently unanswerable problem as a result of which bleedlug-off is viewed by most printers as impossible and no means for effecting such printing on a production scale is available in the art.

We have found that for envelopes and similar subject matter we may space the guide away from the front edge of the pressure plate a. very slight amount, and by so doing the front edge of the guide is brought back just out of alignment with the printing image and undesired picking up of ink by the guide is avoided. At the same time we print the envelope in this position of registration so that it appears, when viewed from the rear, as substantially covered from edge to edge. This is effected by taking advantage of the fact that an envelope presents a relatively thick rounded edge due to being composed of two layers of material. It has been found that a very small portion of the rounded edge may not be contacted by the printing image and yet is not visible when viewed from the rear. Therefore a slight clearance between the guide edge and the printing image edge may be permissible.

This spacing indicated by numeral 22b and particularly shown in Figs. '7, 11 and 12, will neces-- sarily be required to be very small as for example a clearance of from .003 to .005 inch has been found to be suitable to prevent ink smurring and still maintain register. Under certain conditions this clearance may be increased beyond these figures, depending upon the body of the ink used and the thickness and stiffness of the subject matter printed upon.,

The space 22b may be effected by disposition of the guide 22 in any one of several ways. The guide may be positioned substantially parallelly to the forward edge of the pressure plate as shown in Figs. 1 and '7.

If desired, a somewhat diverging clearance may be effected by locating the guide 22 angularly with respect to the forward edge of the pressure plate as shown in Fig. 12. In the modification of Fig. 12 the guide may either be in contact with the pressure plate as shown or may be slightly spaced away from the pressure plate with the angular positioning still adhered to.

A further modification consists in undercutting the forward edge of the pressure plate and then spacing the guide from the undercut edge as shown in Fig. 11 in a parallel manner.

In addition to the spacing 221) between the guide 22 and its pressure plate 22a, it has been found to be further desirable to maintain a spacing between the guide 22 and the printing member when the guide is in a fully depressed position. The reason for this is that the printing member may comprise a resilient ofiset member which may distort and be squeezed outwardly upon rolling into contact with the pressure plate. Even with the top of the guide spaced away from the front edge of the pressure plate, if this top is substantially in the plane at'which the printing member comes into rolling contact with the forward edge of the pressure plate, the squeezing eflect may under certain conditions develop sumcient distortion for the printing member to bulge over onto the guide just contacting it with wet ink thereby.

One means for maintaining a space between the top of the guide and the printing member comprises a cam plate 2 located on the printing member and extending just beyond its periphery, and a cam blocks forming a part of the guide 22 asshown in Fig. 3. The cam plate and the cam block may be arranged relatively to one another so that the top of the guide 22 will never be allowed to contact the. peripheral surface of the printing member. 7 At the point of nip of rolls, the top edge of the guide 22 will actually fall slightly below the upper surface of the pressure plate, as has been illustrated in Figs. '2, 11 and 12. In forming the cam block 3 we have extended it rearwardly as shownin'Fig. 8, a slight amount whereby the depressing action of the cam is maintained and the return movement of the depress'ible guide delayed.

In allowing the guide 22 to be spaced from the front edge of the pressure plate in one of the several ways referred to, it will be observed that at the most only a very small space is permissible in order for the guide to continue to maintain register and print all over the edges of subject matter, as even with a very small space the forward edge of subject matter will overhang the forward edge of the pressure plate a very slight amount. An advantage of spacing the guide 22 develops fromthis overhang of the forward'edge of the subject matter on the pressure plate. The overhanging edge is adapted to being slightly pinched by the printing member against the edge of the pressure plate comprising a slight temporary gripping action on the subject matter and tending to maintain register along the front edge of the envelope. This pinching action of the printingroll on the extreme edge of the envelope is very slight and partly clue to the tendency of the printing roll to deform and bulge in a rearward direction due to its resilientcomposition.

A material having a relatively thick rounded edge, with which a slight overhang may be permissible, has been diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 10 of the drawings. As described above, there are present two layers of material which have been folded one upon the other to present a rounded edge 5 shown greatly exaggerated in Fig. l0. It is pointed 'out that the nip pressure exerted by the printing member on this rounded edge of an envelope will be insuflicient for the printing image to completely cover the rounded edge 5. However, this unprinted space-is not apparent when viewing the back of the envelope from the rear. The result is that the slight overhang allows the guide to effect suitable register without picking up ink and yet the envelope appears printed from edge to edge.

Fixed on shaft 24 and extending beyond the extremities of the sides 25 and 25a is a pair of upturned fingers 43, formed with squared ends 44 which normally occur in the position shown in Fig. 2 above. the level of the conveyor belts. Front edge alignment, to present the subject matter squarely to the printing members, is effected against ends M by advancing a sheet along belts 36 between the sides 25 and 25a, and 'on base plates 25b and 250. I

Adjacent side 25 has been secured a block 26, upon which is pivotally secured by a pin 21. a lever 23, more clearly shown in Fig. 2. The lever 28 is formed with an upstanding end 29 through which is received a rod 30 being resiliently main-' tained therethrough by spring 3| and nut 32. The other end of rod 30 is engaged in an upstanding stud 33 fixed around shaft 24. Side 25 is formed with a cutout portion 23a through which may be received an inwardly protruding head 35 formed on the forward end of the lever 28.

On the shaft 24, and outside of stud 33, is fixed a link 38 carrying a cam follower 39. Cam follower 39 normally is engaging with a surface 40 of a cam iii and when plate roll l2 is passed around into the position shown in Fig. 1, a raised cam side 62 thrusts the cam follower 39 rearwardly, which rotates shaft 24 and advances the position of stud 33'carrying rod 30. As stated, lever 28 is pivoted on pin 21 so that forward movement of the rod results in lateral movement of the lever head 35 through the guide rail 24 which has been adjusted to occur at a point centrally of a sheet passing in front of it. The action of the lever head 35 urges the sheet squarely against the side 25a. This occurs slightly after engagement of the sheet against the fingers 43 and spring 3| then pulls head 35 back into position for a succeeding operation. The subject matter while in its squared position against the finger members is brought into a correctlateral position in register with a lateral edge of an ink image on the printing member toward which the sheet is advancing.

With further rotation of the shaft 24 the fingers 43 drop down below the level of the sheet of subject matter and the sheet is free to pass ahead. At this point it will be observed the sheet is in a squared position relative to a lateral edge of an ink image on the printing member.

Fixed on the shaft 24 are bars 45 adapted to support and lower a second shaft 46 mounted in the sides 25 and 25a. Shaft 46 carries driving rollers 41 which are adapted upon lowering of the shaft to have driving engagement with a sheet thereunder on the conveyor belt and the plates 25b and 250, Lowering of bars 45 takes place when cam follower 39 has been outwardly displaced into the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and is timed to occur while the fingers are dropping, so that the sheet is firmly engaged at a rear portio'nbetween the rolls 41 and the plates 25b and 250 when the forward edge is disengaged and the correct lateral position of the sheet which has been effected against plate 25a is accurately maintained.

The driving rolls 41 immediately advance the sheet to the guide 22 with the peripheral speed of the driving rolls 41 being greater than the peripheral speed of the guide 22 on the roll 2|, so that a positive pressure is set up to register the front edge of the sheet in a substantially correct longitudinal position as already described,

and to maintain the sheet in this position while the roll is turning and until the front edge of the sheet has enteredthe nip of the rolls. Engagement of the driving rolls continues at the rear end of the sheet after the front edge has entered the printing rolls and this assists in inspring proper maintenance of the sheet in its correct lateral position together with the pinching action of the printing member against the pressure plate described above.

, tially approximating It will be noted that the mechanism described for effecting side register of a sheet to be printed comprises a head 35 which is of relatively small dimension compared with the dimension of a sheet passing therealong, and it is also pointed out that the action of this head 35 is relatively fast, especially in high-speed operation, substana hammer-like stroke. A modified type of mechanism for effecting side alignment has been illustrated in the drawings in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

As before, the side 25 is-cut out at 48 and 43 in a beveled manner, and slidably received in the cutout has been provided a modified type of head 50." The head 50 has been sharply elongated to present a greatly increased bearing surface on the edge of a sheet against which it may engage.

by means of a flat spring means forming a part of the machine (not shown). Shaft 53 carries a bevel gear 54 which drives a shaft 55 by means of gears 56, 51 and 58. Mounted on shaft 55 are eccentriccams 59 in contact with spring 5|.

The head so together with its actuatlng meChanism is timed to operate with the passage of an envelope thereby, and it will be noted that in addition to the elongated face providing a greater bearing surface, the action of the cams '59 tends to effect a gradual travel of the head 50 to whatever degree may be desired and by proper adjustment it is possible to practically urge the envelope against the opposite lateral side and momentarily maintain it there while it is being further registered along its front edge and gripped by the driving rolls 41 above referred to. If desired, other types of heads and other means of gradually contacting such heads with sheets may be resorted to.

The multiple register mechanism described are effective in carrying out bleeding-off operations for various sheets of material and are particularly suitable to handling envelopes and other substantially stiff sheets. It is pointed out that with an envelope there are two layers of paper to be handled and maintained in a proper position. The two layers promote "buckling which renders it more difficult to maintain registration along the edges and difliculty is further increased by the gumming which secures certain folded portions of an envelope together and promotes buckling" of the envelope.

The combined effect of the three registering means described is operative on an envelopeat three points, a lateral edge, the top side of the envelope, and a forward edge, and as a result a treatment particularly suitable for envelopes is carried out, the envelope is maintained in a flattened state, and correct lateral position, transferred in this condition from one register mechanism to another, final longitudinal position effected, and the envelope immediately. printed whereby buckling and other difficulties are overcome in providing suitable register for a bleeding-off operation at high speed.

The method of printing, as carried out by the present apparatus described, is claimed in our co-pending application filed January 16, 1939, Ser. No. 251,192. It is intended that changes and modifications in keeping with the spirit of the invention may be resorted to as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a printing machine, the combination with a pressure roll and a printing roll adapted to apply an image to work passing between the rolls, of conveyor means located in iront or the said rolls, guide rails disposed at either side of said conveyor means adapted to support a sheet of subject matter at both sides therebetween, side register means movably supported through one of said rails adapted to engage an edge of the said subject matter and align it against the other of the said rails, said side register means having secured thereto a spring member and said spring member being supported against cam members, said cam members adapted to gradually urge the said side register means against the subject matter in a delayed manner.

2. In a printing machine, the combination with ya pressure roll and a. printing roll adapted to apply an image to work passing between the rolls,

of conveyor means, guide rail means vertically disposed at either side of said conveyor means, means comprising a block adjustably received through one of said guide rails for aligning a lateral edge or the said work against the other of the said guide rails, spring means for resilienthr :41; the said block adjacent the guide means, and cam means associated with the sp means so that the block may he urged against an edge oi the said subject matter in a delayed 3. The combination of a printing roll, a pressure roll, a pressure plate arranged on the pressure roll, a guide member slidably supported in said pressure roll, said guide angularly mounted along the forward edge of the said pressure plate and engaging at the under side 01 the said edge to occur in spaced relation to the surface of the said pressure plate.

4. The combination of a printing roll, a pressure roll'ln rolling contact with the printing roll, and guide means located in the pressure roll along an edge thereof, said guide means adapted to register the forward edge of an envelope supported on the pressure roll, said guide means occurring in spaced relation to the said edge oi the pressure roll of such dimension as to provide for the said forward edge of the envelope being engaged at the nip of the printing roll with the said edge of the pressure roll. v

JOHN J. QRMOND. PAUL H. DTJRUP. 

